Shoestring-fastener.



No. 722,891. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.

' A. P. PITMAN.

SHOESTRING P-ASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 17, I902 1/ A? (g? I 9 107 E g H I 5 fi4 WZ/L" 9I 15 47 ATTORNEY.

UNITE STATES ANNIE P. PITMAN, OF MELROSE HIGHLANDS, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOESTFHNG-FASTENER.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 722,891, dated March17, 1903.

Application filed October 17, 1902. Serial No. 127,705. (No model.)

To to whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANNIE P. PITMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Melrose Highlands, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoestring-Fasteners, of which the following isa full and accurate description.

The object of my invention is to do away with the annoyance of havingones shoestrings constantly untying. It is well known that unless thestring ends are tied in a very firm manner (which makes untyingdiificult and annoying) they will constantly come un tied, owing to thefrictionof the wearing-apparel or from the constant working of theinstep in walking. To obviate this, I have devised a fastener which iseasily and quickly operated, simple and cheap in construction, and whichholds the string ends firmly, thus preventing any danger of looseningand untying. V

In the drawings, Figure I shows a. perspective view of the fasteneropened upwith one string end looped into position and the other in theact of being looped into the fastener. Fig. II shows a plan View of thefastener opened up without the string ends.

ends looped into position ready for the fastener to be closed. Fig. IVshows the fas: toner closed upon the string ends, securely holding them.Figs. V, VI, and VII show.

details of the three essential parts of the fas tener in plan and insection.

, In the drawings like characters of reference designate similar partsin the various figures.

My fastener consists of three partsnaniely, a flat ring or disk 1, aflap 4, hinged to said disk, and a three-tongued sliding piece or clasp6. The flat ring or disk. 1 may be stamped from sheet metal of any kindin the form shown in Fig. VI'. A small hole 2 is stamped at the sametime in the upper edge of the ring, and a section of the lower edge isalso cut away, leaving narrow portion of the ring, as shown at 3. Theflap 4, which is hinged to the ring or disk 1 at the latters narrow edge3, as shown in Figs. I, II, and III, is adapted to be folded over ontothe face of the ring 1 and is similarly shaped, so as to fit upon itaccurately. In the central portion Fig. III is the same View as Fig. IIwith the'stringof this flap lan aperture or slot 5 is stamped out, andthe flap is so bout that this aperture comes in the bent portion, asshown in Figs. I and VIIthat is, the portion of the flap below the slot(referring to Fig. IV) is bent to comein front of the plane of theportion above the slot. As later described, this is to allow the middletongue of the clasp to enter the slot. The three-tongued sliding pieceor clasp 6 is best shown in Fig. V. The rear portion 7 of this claspcontains a long slot 8, in

whicha headed rivet 9 is. adapted to slide, as [hereinafter shown. Thefront or clasp por- ;tion consists of three tongues or prongs 10,.11,and12,the middle tongue 11 being straight,

while thetwo outer tongues 10 and 12 are bent so that they come in frontof the plane of the middle tongue for the purpose hereinafter shown.This is clearly shown in the section of Fig. V. These three parts 1, 4,and 6 are shown in combination with the ftongue of a shoe which isadapted to be laced,

as this seems the most convenient part of the shoe to which to attachthe fastener.

The parts are assembled in the following manner: The ringer disk 1 isplaced on the frontof the tongue 13 near the top, with the hole 2 011the upper edge and the flap 4 alin the section of Fig. VI, though nottight enough to prevent the clasp 6 from sliding up and down on therivet, with the back head 14 as a guide to the slot 8.

Having thus described the construction and assembly of the fastener, themethod of operating it is as follows: Referring to Figs. I and III,after the shoe has beenlaced the string ends 15 and 16 are insertedthrough the center of the ring 1 from the under side upward. They arethen turned outward to the right and left, respectively,and looped backthrough the same hole in the ring 1 at its outer edges. In Fig. I thestring 15 is shown in the act of being looped back into the ring 1 afterhaving been passed through it. The string 16 in this figure is inposition ready for the closing of the fastener. The loops thus made arepressed aside, the flap 4 is folded over upon them, and the clasp 6 sliddown upon the rivet 9, guided by the slot 8, as before described. Themiddle tongue 11 of the clasp is so bent that it naturally enters theaperture 5 in the flap 4, while the two tongues 10 and 12 slide by overthe face of the flap 4, as shown in Fig. IV. The looped ends of theshoestring are thus firmly bound in, position, as shown in this latterfigure.

The shape of the parts of this fastener may of course be varied withoutchanging the nature of my invention. Also the fastener may be useddetached, if desired, instead of being fixed to the tongue or other partof a shoe. The preferred form, however, is to fix it to the top of thetongue of a shoe, as herein described. The number of tongues in theclasp may also be varied at will, though the form shown is the mostsimple.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In combination with the tongue of a shoe, of a ring-shaped disk fixedthereto, a perforated flap hinged to the lower edge of said disk, andadapted to fold thereupon, and a three-tongued sliding clasp attached tosaid ring, the middle tongue of said clasp adapted to engage ordisengage said perforated flap when the latter is folded upon said disk.

2. In a shoestring-fastener, a ring-shaped disk adapted to receive thestring ends, a perforated flap hinged to said disk and adapted to foldupon said strings, and a tongued sliding piece mounted on said disk andadapted to engage or disengage said perforated flap, in the manner andfor the purpose hereinbefore specified.

3. In a shoestring-fastener, a ring-shaped disk, aslotted or perforatedflap hinged thereto, and a tongued sliding piece, adapted to engage ordisengage said flap in the manner and for the purpose hereinbeforespecified.

4. In a fastener, a disk, a slotted or perforated fiap hinged to saiddisk, and a threetongued clasp slidingly mounted on said disk andadapted to engage or disengage said flap.

Signed this 6th day of October, 1902.

ANNIE P. PITMAN.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK B. HILL, FREDERICK W. DALLINGER.

